United To Build 3 Theaters

Attracted by Orlando's growth, United Artists Communications Inc. plans to make its movie debut here by building three theaters with a total of 23 screens.

''We have a tremendous expansion plan going on in Florida right now,'' said Steven Flynn, a spokesman for United Artists Communications' office in East Meadow, N.Y. ''We've been interested in the Orlando area for quite a while.''

The company is spending about $5 million to build theaters at three Orlando-area shopping centers.

One theater with eight screens is scheduled to open Nov. 14 in Lake Howell Square at Lake Howell Lane and State Road 436. Another eight-screen theater is expected to open Dec. 26 in Republic Square at Republic Drive and Sandlake Road. A seven-screen theater will open early next year in Florida Mall at South Orange Blossom Trail and Sandlake Road.

With more than 1,200 screens in the United States, including 118 in Florida, United Artists Communications is one of the nation's largest cinema operators.

Film director D.W. Griffith and stars Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford created the predecessor of United Artists Communications in 1926. The theater chain has no link to United Artists Corp., a film distribution company.

United Artists Communications, which is based in San Francisco, owns theaters in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Bradenton, Clearwater, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa and West Palm Beach. The company is building or plans to build more theaters in Clearwater, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Largo and Orlando.

Tele-Communications Inc., the nation's largest cable-television operator, bought 51 percent of United Artists Communications' stock last week for about $390 million.

When United Artists Communications enters the Orlando area, it will compete with three other of the nation's largest theater chains:

-- AMC Entertainment Inc. of Kansas City, Mo., which owns Interstate Mall 6 in Altamonte Springs. AMC will open Fashion Village 8 next month near Orlando Fashion Square shopping center and plans to open a 16-screen theater at the proposed Orlando Galleria shopping center in 1988.

-- Cineplex Odeon Corp. of Toronto, Ontario, which owns Plitt Plaza Theatre in Orlando and Plitt University 8 Cinema in Winter Park. Cineplex Odeon plans to open five theaters within a year and is negotiating for three additional theater sites.

-- General Cinema Corp. of Chestnut Hill, Mass., which recently opened Colonial Promenade 6 in Orlando and is rumored to be scouting for more theater sites. General Cinema also owns theaters at the Altamonte Mall, Orlando Fashion Square, Parkwood Plaza and Seminole Plaza shopping centers.

Lynda Friendly, a Cineplex Odeon spokeswoman, would not comment about United Artists Communications' construction plans.

Phil Singleton, AMC's vice president of Southeastern operations, said that the nation's large theater chains are expanding rapidly throughout Florida and the rest of the Sun Belt.

More theaters will result in ''a stronger demand on Hollywood for more and better-quality films. We will have to make the movie-going experience more pleasurable,'' Singleton said. ''The major chains are going to survive. The smaller operators will be victims of acquisitions or going out of business.''